“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
It wouldn’t be fall without apple picking! Orchards near us have only one, maybe two, varieties available for picking at a time due to less than ideal growing conditions this year, but we are really hoping that there will be more options available later in the fall.
Hopefully the picking is better where you are and that you get some fabulous apple cider and apple cider donuts at the orchard. Those are my daughter’s favorite part of our outings to the orchard. Apple picking usually yields some interesting questions. Hopefully these fun facts about apples will help you answer them and make you the knowledgeable star of the orchard.
* Why are some apples are lopsided?
It often has to do with the seeds. An apple that develops with more seeds on one side than the other will grow lopsided.
* Are peeled apples as healthy as those without peels?
Nope. Two-thirds of the fiber in an apple and many of the antioxidants are found in the apple peel.
* How many kinds of apples are there?
Apples are the most varied fruit. In fact, there are 7,500 apple varieties, more than for any other food. There are 15 popular varieties that makes up approximately 90% of the apples produced in the U.S.
* How many seeds are in an apple?
If an apple blossom is well pollinated, the apple that results will contain an average of 5−12 seeds. That’s true of all varieties.
* What is the name for the spaces inside an apple where the seeds are?
The seed chambers in an apple are called carpels. Each apple has five carpels.
* How are bees and apples related?
Bees are needed to pollinate apple blossoms. Just one bee can carry 100,000 pollen grains from flower to flower, cross−pollinating as it buzzes around an orchard.
* Do apples grow in the all the states?
No. Apples grow in 37 of the 50 U.S. states.
The Pilgrims of Massachusetts Bay Colony planted apple seeds in 1629. Native Americans and pioneers brought apple seeds with them when they moved west. Johnny Appleseed, who actually named John Chapman, planted orchards in Ohio and Indiana.
* Need some fun facts about different varieties? Here you go!
There really was a Granny Smith behind the tart green apple that bears the name. That variety of apple was discovered in Australia by Granny Anne Smith in 1868.
Cortland apples were created by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station located in Cortland County, New York state in 1898. The apple is named for the county.
“Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting Golden Delicious.”
― Bill Meyer
For a fun, printable coloring book with educational information about how an apple comes to be over the course of the year, check out Apple Wise Guys coloring book from the US Apples Association.
Sources: Ohio Apples.com, USApples.org
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